Students Work

Author:

Birgit Hoogenberk

About Birgit

Birgit Hoogenberk studied social work at HU University of Applied Sciences, graduating in June 2013. Her article Verlies van (t)huis en haard was one of the winning articles of the 2013 Utrecht University of Applied Sciences thesis award. Currently, Birgit is working as a medical assistant at the UMC Utrecht. She is always ready for a new challenge and looking for opportunities in social work. She would like to obtain a degree in grief therapy/ loss counseling.

Abstract

Loss of home and house. The importance of loss counseling as a part of refugee social support

In this article it is advocated that it is important that the implementation of loss counseling is part of social support for refugees, also called integrative eclectic working. Social support from VluchtelingenWerk, also known as Refugee Council, is about supporting the client in an effective manner with their personal problems which can hinder their integration. Because the target group of VluchtelingenWerk is a group of people whom have suffered many losses, attention should be brought to this subject. Unfortunately in current work methods there is no room for loss counseling, partly due to the lack of methodological tools. The losses associated with this group have a lot of impact on their daily lives and often are the source of functional limitations. By offering loss counseling and multi-method grief counseling, volunteers and employees are offered tools to make loss more negotiable. In this article different examples will be discussed and the new loss model of Stroebe and Schut will be explained. What will be clarified is the importance of the implementation of loss counseling, for the well-being and the integration process of clients as well as achieving organizational goals.